During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?
Observation:
Before class began, my CT was setting up a projector which she would be using later during the class to show a video of an octopus camouflaging itself as seaweed. She wanted a quick transition between talking about the subject and showing the example and . When the students began to line up at the door during the interchange between classes, the teacher stopped what she was doing and went to the door and greeted them. She told them to come in and addressed the students by name as they walked into the classroom. While they are walking into the classroom, the teacher instructed the students to grab a "science starter". Once most of the students were in the classroom , she reassured them that the science starter would not be counted for credit and that she just wanted them to try the questions about graphing. During last weeks observations, the students took a faux quiz, if the students received a 100 as a grade then the quiz was counted as a real quiz and they did not have to take the "real" quiz during the next class. This is why I assumed she reassured the students this would not be a grade and that she just wanted to know what they knew about the topic. After the students did the "science starter" the teacher discussed the answers with the children. She did not give the students answers but used questioning to guide the students toward the answers.
No homework was collected next. The teacher revisited the topic of evaluating a scientific claim. She introduced the topic by making connections back to a previous in class activity in which they made claims, stated the evidence to support the claim and explained a reason . After she made connections she explained to the students that they were going to be assessed on the evaluation for a claim, and that it was going to be a year goal for everyone to be proficient on the topic. She handed out a rubric and did another in class example using graphical data to make a claim and evaluate it.
Reflection:
My CT got the students right into working as soon as they came into class. She starts every class with a "science starter". I like the use of the "science starter" and would be interested in using a version of that in my classroom. I think it helps to transition the students from another class to science. I like that it requires the students to think critically without being graded. It is also a tool that I could use as a beginning teacher to assess the information the students are retaining for the lessons that are being taught in class. I thought giving the students the oppertunity to not have to take the in-class quiz if they had already received 100 was a great idea. If the students know the information they would not be bored taking a quiz on the same information again and if they did not recieve a 100 they could be motivated to study more in order to not have to take the quiz. The teacher never gave the students the answer when they were discussing and instead used questioning to encourage students to think about and discover the answer. I consider this one of the best methods, but not the only, to guide the student to discovering the answer for themselves. During our in-class conversation of Image of Teaching, we discussed the role of the teacher as a helpful hand in the learning process. I think my CT was exemplifying this concept in her teaching. I would like to be this kid of teacher to my students when I teach. I would like to be a teacher that fosters learning andnot one that just dictates the answers to problems
My CT was practicing for a year long goal that all of the science classes had for their students. The goal is for the students to know how to make a scientific claim. I like that the Ct gave the students a rubric which explained what they wanted the students to know. I thought the rubric was necessary and that the teacher gave the rubric out at a good time. Before they practiced with the assignment. While they did the class assignment the teacher would make reference to the rubric and tell the students what kind of grade they would get for their answers. I liked that the teacher modeled how to use the rubric, and I would like to do this for my students in the future in order to make the expectations that are asked of them are clear.
Observation:
Before class began, my CT was setting up a projector which she would be using later during the class to show a video of an octopus camouflaging itself as seaweed. She wanted a quick transition between talking about the subject and showing the example and . When the students began to line up at the door during the interchange between classes, the teacher stopped what she was doing and went to the door and greeted them. She told them to come in and addressed the students by name as they walked into the classroom. While they are walking into the classroom, the teacher instructed the students to grab a "science starter". Once most of the students were in the classroom , she reassured them that the science starter would not be counted for credit and that she just wanted them to try the questions about graphing. During last weeks observations, the students took a faux quiz, if the students received a 100 as a grade then the quiz was counted as a real quiz and they did not have to take the "real" quiz during the next class. This is why I assumed she reassured the students this would not be a grade and that she just wanted to know what they knew about the topic. After the students did the "science starter" the teacher discussed the answers with the children. She did not give the students answers but used questioning to guide the students toward the answers.
No homework was collected next. The teacher revisited the topic of evaluating a scientific claim. She introduced the topic by making connections back to a previous in class activity in which they made claims, stated the evidence to support the claim and explained a reason . After she made connections she explained to the students that they were going to be assessed on the evaluation for a claim, and that it was going to be a year goal for everyone to be proficient on the topic. She handed out a rubric and did another in class example using graphical data to make a claim and evaluate it.
Reflection:
My CT got the students right into working as soon as they came into class. She starts every class with a "science starter". I like the use of the "science starter" and would be interested in using a version of that in my classroom. I think it helps to transition the students from another class to science. I like that it requires the students to think critically without being graded. It is also a tool that I could use as a beginning teacher to assess the information the students are retaining for the lessons that are being taught in class. I thought giving the students the oppertunity to not have to take the in-class quiz if they had already received 100 was a great idea. If the students know the information they would not be bored taking a quiz on the same information again and if they did not recieve a 100 they could be motivated to study more in order to not have to take the quiz. The teacher never gave the students the answer when they were discussing and instead used questioning to encourage students to think about and discover the answer. I consider this one of the best methods, but not the only, to guide the student to discovering the answer for themselves. During our in-class conversation of Image of Teaching, we discussed the role of the teacher as a helpful hand in the learning process. I think my CT was exemplifying this concept in her teaching. I would like to be this kid of teacher to my students when I teach. I would like to be a teacher that fosters learning andnot one that just dictates the answers to problems
My CT was practicing for a year long goal that all of the science classes had for their students. The goal is for the students to know how to make a scientific claim. I like that the Ct gave the students a rubric which explained what they wanted the students to know. I thought the rubric was necessary and that the teacher gave the rubric out at a good time. Before they practiced with the assignment. While they did the class assignment the teacher would make reference to the rubric and tell the students what kind of grade they would get for their answers. I liked that the teacher modeled how to use the rubric, and I would like to do this for my students in the future in order to make the expectations that are asked of them are clear.